This ginger lavender tonic feels like such a summer drink – but hey, the days are yo-yoing around here, summer one day, winter the next. It feels like a giant tease to get a breezy and sunny 68-degree day one week and then a frigid 20s chiller the next.
We are floating on the breeze and shaking in the cold. Sometimes, in thinking of warm days, we eat summer food and drink summer drinks, in hopes that it will bring those days nearer.
It really works, too, at least in our minds, so I think we should keep allowing ourselves to long for and hope for different seasons with what we eat, or at least reminding ourselves of them every now and again.
Our hopes and fears feel like this, too. They swell and fade on the waves of changing circumstances and situations, leaving us tied to the tides.
We’re pushed and pulled by disappointments and frustrations, longing for sweeter days. We’re carried about by the affairs of this life. Some seasons it feels like we’re barely hanging on.
Oh, how we need a good boat to carry us through this ever-changing life and its ups and downs. How we need a steadfast anchor to keep us moored. The tide and waves will still come, the blessings and hurts will still come, but we won’t drown.
With something to insulate us from the storms, we’re safe, we’re protected, we’re able to survive tribulation and distress and famine and nakedness and sword. “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair … Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:8, 16.
PrintGinger Lavender Tonic
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup turbinado sugar
- 1 cup water
- 30 grams fresh ginger root (about 3 inches, peeled and sliced thin (or grated))
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped lavender (about 6 grams)
- 32 ounces sparkling water
- Ice
Instructions
- Combine sugar, water, sliced ginger, and lavender in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain syrup to remove ginger and lavender. You should end up with a little over a cup of syrup.
- We used about 1/4 cup syrup per pint of ice and sparkling water, but you can use more or less depending on your taste.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
This ginger tonic is very adaptable and in keeping with the formula theme from the velvet carrot soup, it can be using with different herbs or syrups.
It is only a tonic in the sense of being invigorating with some medicinal qualities, but it does not contain any quinine. The lavender gives nice floral notes to complement the zing of the ginger.
About Shanna Mallon
Shanna Mallon is a freelance writer who holds an MA in writing from DePaul University. Her work has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including The Kitchn, Better Homes & Gardens, Taste of Home, Houzz.com, Foodista, Entrepreneur, and Ragan PR. In 2014, she co-authored The Einkorn Cookbook with her husband, Tim. Today, you can find her digging into food topics and celebrating the everyday grace of eating on her blog, Go Eat Your Bread with Joy. Shanna lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with Tim and their two small kids.
A summer-ish drink is just what we need…sustain us for these last few weeks of winter as our minds drift elsewhere!
What a lovely sounding drink; I make lavender lemonade quite often but I love the sound of this and the invigorating combination of flavours. I’m intrigued too that you guys used the stem of the lavender rather than the buds (which is what I’ve used before). Do you find it has a different flavour?
Hey Kathryn,
Yeah, it seems the buds are sweeter, but our store only had the leaves on hand and it sounded good so I went with it. : ) The flavor was still floral but not as light as the buds.
Oh man! Pure health in a glass. Lovely!
This sounds so refreshing! I’ve never thought to pair lavender and ginger together, but I’d love to try it.
It really was refreshing–I thought the balance was really nice between the two. I think other good floral notes would work well, like chamomile or rosewater.
Mmmm and amen.
This drink is just beautiful. Love the flavor combinations and your pics are just amazing. You take a simple glass and elevate it.
Thanks, Cheri!
I have lots of food sensitivities and so I did a search for Ginger + Lavender + recipe, and this came up. Did you know that the recipe doesn’t specify how much sugar? It’s not in the ingredients. I look forward to making this or something based on this. Thank you for the ideas! (Ideas are hard to come by, with the restrictions I have)
Thanks for catching our error, Kathryn! This recipe calls for 1 cup of turbinado sugar, and it has been updated.